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Tuesday, June 09, 2015

Diaspora tax for Eritreans living in UK investigated by Metropolitan police

(Jun 09, 2015, (London))--The Metropolitan police are examining allegations that the Eritrean embassy in London is illegally using a controversial diaspora tax to “punish and control” Eritreans living in the UK, it has emerged.

The Eritrean government has been criticised repeatedly over its use of the 2% recovery and reconstruction (RRT) tax it levies on the earnings of Eritreans abroad.

In December 2011, a UN security council resolution (pdf) called on Eritrea to “cease using extortion, threats of violence, fraud and other illicit means to collect taxes outside of Eritrea from its nationals or other individuals of Eritrean descent”.

The same resolution accused Eritrea of using the tax to destabilise the Horn of Africa, saying some of the revenues were funding armed opposition groups in the region, including the militant group al-Shabaab. Read more fromThe Guardian»